


Zonic Adventure

by mellowcryptid



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28034766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mellowcryptid/pseuds/mellowcryptid
Summary: "Follow the life story of Zonic the Zone Cop, from his sad beginnings, his training in the academy, to a place of respect and admiration among mobians." This work was inspired by Zonerz's backstory for Zonic. A few months ago, he became my comfort character and since Archie seems to have abandoned him, I couldn't help but create my own version of his story. I'm not yet sure where this will go, or if I will ever finish it, but I will try my best.
Kudos: 4





	Zonic Adventure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zonerz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zonerz/gifts).



When a young adult is about to leave for university, they tend to spend hours or days earlier deciding what to take with them to this new journey and what to leave behind. It takes strength to wave one’s home a last goodbye, in most cases. But for Zonic, it was nothing so long or dramatic. He could fit all of his belongings in one baggage, since he had so few things to call his own. As for the house he lived in, well, it had not felt like a home since his mother passed away. Since then, his father slowly stopped caring about him, until it came to the point he seemed to forget he had a son in the first place. As a hoglet, he had to learn to care for himself, and started to do neighborhood jobs to have enough money to replace his old, unfit shoes, or to make sure he had a meal in case nothing was brought for him.

But now, it was time to go. He was leaving that cold house and his past behind him. As the bus came into view, he turned to his father and waved, offering a tiny smile. “Goodbye.”

Zules nodded and waved back. “Have fun.”

_ Have fun. Have fun!  _ That was all he had to say before he turned his back to his son and went inside, closing the door behind him like this was nothing! Despite having years to accept that his father did not care about him, he still expected the older hog to wave back at the very least. And, deep down, he had expected him to have opened his arms for a hug, like a loving parent would normally do when parting ways with a child. He should not have kept his hopes up, should he?

Well, none of that mattered now. Zonic took a deep breath, put on the best posture he could, and waited for the vehicle to stop near him. As the bus opened its doors, he stepped in and chose the nearest window seat. He rested the baggage in front of his feet so he could keep an eye on it and took a deep breath, leaning on the glass. The past was in the past: there was a new life ahead of him, and he would not have to think about his own dramatic backstory ever again. The trip began, and as they finally left his street, he took his phone and a pair of earbuds from his pocket and started to listen to music. Watching the city go by and be replaced by a natural landscape, he imagined being in a movie - something any teenager would do when listening to epic music in a car. Especially one who was trying to avoid thinking about their internal conflicts.

Although he was trying to suppress his memories and focus on the future, he could not help but think about his mother at the moment. She used to tell him stories about the universes out there. She bought him books about it, though, of course, they were simplified enough for children to understand. Zernadette was a scientist, a researcher of that area, and would have told him much more detail about each of her favorite zones, if it was not for the illness that took her life when her son was ten years old. Still, Zonic grew up with endless admiration for every world, especially Prime Mobius, and when he was just twelve, he decided that he wanted to protect those worlds. Sadly, he did not receive a lot of encouragement from his father when the decision was made, but that did not prevent him from applying to the Zone Cop Academy. 

That was where he was headed to now.

From the moment the bus stopped in front of the university, to the second his feet walked past the front gate, he was holding his breath. It was still hard to believe he was actually a cadet now. He would never admit it, but he was also a little scared. Despite all the people walking beside him, he felt even more lonely than he used to be. At least his dad and him knew each other somewhat, despite their distance, and he also had friends in the neighborhood. Here, he felt  _ utterly _ alone. It was like, if he ever needed help, no one would lend him a hand. And if danger came, no one would stop to save him. The feeling was horrible and made him shudder, but he shook his head and simply walked faster.

When he reached the reception, he found a map of the entire facility, plus a few papers instructing the new students to gather at the center of the campus. Heading there, they arrived at a plaza, where some chairs were placed, facing the podium lectern where a tall shark mobian stood, watching over the people that arrived. That was their instructor. She waited until everyone was seated before welcoming them, then dividing the new students in pairs and sending each of them to their dorms, after describing the schedule and layout of the facility to them. On the way to the building where the rooms were located, Zonic could pass by the training grounds, where some of the older students were exercising. One of them was this tall, green crocodile who looked like he could easily toss someone into the moon. Now that he thought about it, a lot of zone cops, both those in training and the officers, were big mobians or sturdy humans. He saw a lion, a wolf, an elephant and a moose in the reunion. His instructor? A shark. The professor? A 200 cm tall human.

At least his roommate was a smaller mobian like himself. It was a purple chameleon who carried an aura of serenity and confidence wherever he went. He seemed very focused, and had not said a thing during the walk to the dorms. The hedgehog did not dare break the silence and disturb his new roommate’s thoughts, whatever they were, so the two would only engage into conversation when they stepped into their new room.

As they arrived, Zonic stopped to take a look around. It was nothing too big, and it was far from being fancy, but somehow it felt more like home than the house he came from. There were two beds: one at the left, and one at the right. Both had desks in front of them, with large drawers for clothes and a space underneath for shoes. There was a ceiling fan above the beds, a window between them and a bedside table to be shared. They had a table and two chairs in front of the mini-kitchen, and a small bathroom. Being in a smaller space made things feel less empty. The feeling of loneliness that the hedgehog felt outside was melted and reshaped into something he could not describe at the moment. Refreshment, perhaps. It definitely helped him stop thinking about the past. The future was uncertain, but  _ this  _ was the present - his present. There was still hope for him.

“So… your name is Zespio, right?” He finally spoke.

“Correct.” The other replied, already starting to unpack his things. He chose the bed at the left side of the room without a word, and started to neatly put his clothes in the drawer in front of it. “And you are Zonic.”

Now that he had spoken, he finally realized what was different about him! His accent gave it away, he was foreign. That surprised Zonic and made him wonder. That academy was certainly famous and known for its quality, but he never guessed people would come from all over the world to study there. Though, maybe, he and possibly his family had come to this city for other reasons and decided to stay. It was a bit too early to ask, and, he feared, such talk could lead to telling each other of their own backstories, which he did not want to do at all.

“Mhm.” The hedgehog just nodded in response, then. 

He took off his shoes, then walked over to his own desk and finally started to open his own baggage, taking his items into their new places. He felt embarrassed about how many of his clothes looked old and worn out compared to Zespio’s, and stayed quiet in hopes that the other would pay no mind to it. He really did not. Apart from a single glance towards him, he seemed to be very focused on what he was doing, and upon having all his clothes and footwear organized, he headed to the kitchen to store the bottle of water he had brought with him. Finally, he hung the empty bag on a hook in the wall before climbing into the bed and looking at his phone.

The blue hedgehog watched it for a while, a little frozen in a way. Finally coming back to reality, he finished his own work, took his phone, set an alarm for the time of the next meeting and fell into his new bed. It wasn’t as soft as the previous one, but nothing too bad that he would complain about. He closed his eyes and covered himself with the sheets, ready to take a nap.

During his one hour and a half of sleep, he had a dream about his mother. These were frequent, but still upsetting most of the time. 

He could still remember her face clearly, the color of her fur and quills, her eyes and her voice, and even in his wildest, nonsensical dreams, her appearance was the only thing that never changed. In this dream, they stood side by side in the middle of a forest full of lights. Her mouth moved, but he could not understand what she was saying. He asked her what was going on, but instead of answering, she handed him a candle. As he took it into his hands, she seemed to smile, then slowly fade away and disappear completely, becoming one with the wind. As the sparkles left behind by her fleeing spirit vanished, all the other lights were gone as well, and his surroundings became pitch black. He waited for something more to happen, but nothing did. Now, all he had was a candle as he walked around, trying to find his way around a dark world. A candle that could be blown away by any wind. He was terrified, but somehow, he did not try to call for help.

The alarm went off and frightened him awake. As he sat up and placed a hand on his chest, taking deep breaths and trying to relax, he looked to the side and took notice that Zespio had also gone to sleep. He groaned a little as he moved to put his paws on the floor, wishing he could sleep a little more. He tapped the  _ stop _ button on his phone screen to silence that annoying ringtone (he never remembered to change it), then stretched before standing up. While the other was still waking up, he hurried and went to the bathroom to avoid wasting time. He washed his face, combed his quills, brushed his teeth, and looked at himself in the mirror for a minute. The dream sat in the back of his head. When he came out of the bathroom, the chameleon stood from the chair where he was patiently waiting (good Chaos, how did he get up so fast?) and walked there as well. He was already dressed to go, so Zonic hurried to change clothes as put on his shoes as well. 

Once both were ready, they left the room and headed for the training ground. A few cadets were there, gathered around the instructor, but most were still to come. Once they had all arrived, the shark whistled loudly to get everyone to shut up and listen.

“Pay attention, because I will not be repeating anything! Raise your hand if your room does  _ not  _ have a sheet explaining our schedule.” She looked around, but no hands were raised, so she continued. “All of your classes will happen on the second floor of the west tower. You already know where the training grounds are. Go to the reception after this meeting so that we can measure you and prepare your uniform for the training, then I recommend you to go buy whatever you need for your stay. We serve lunch and sell essentials only. If you want breakfast, snacks and dinner, you have to make it yourself. Am I clear? Good. You are dismissed.”

Zonic sighed as the other cadets started to walk towards the building. “Crap…” he muttered under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Zespio asked, walking beside him.

The hedgehog looked up in surprise. He hadn’t expected the other to care. “Well, I don’t have a car. Or money to buy much food.”

“Oh. Well, do not worry. I bet my friend Zector could give us a ride if he has the time. As for the food, I might be able to buy some for us.”

“Shit, I… I don’t know how to pay you back.”

Zespio shrugged. “Roommates have to help each other, correct?”

“I guess.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you.”

When the group arrived at the reception, all of them were told to stand on a line. At its end was a male moose using metric tape to thoroughly measure the cadets and take notes in a tiny notebook. Once again, Zonic felt uncomfortable being this tiny blue spot in the middle of all these big mobians and humans. Even once his turn came, the tailor gave him a weird look. “How are you even here?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, but beginning to measure him anyway.

“I fit all the requirements and passed the tests.”

“Then maybe we need higher standards.You’re not going to last long out there.” The moose shook his head, writing the numbers down. “What’s your name?”

“Zonic.” He grumbled. As he finished and finally dismissed him, some of the other cadets chuckled at him. The hedgehog tilted his ears back and put his hands in his pockets. He stood away from the line, but still heard them whisper about him for a while. Some even commented on his worn clothes. His only response was a cold glare and a huff, which only made them more amused.

As Zespio came to him, he immediately noticed his unhappy expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Let’s just go.”

The chameleon hesitated, but nodded and led him back to the dorms, through corridors and stairs until he stopped and knocked in one of the doors. “Zector! Are you there?”

When the door opened, they were met with the same crocodile Zonic had seen in the training grounds. He had apparently just showered and changed clothes, and looked a little tired, but still managing a big, toothy smile as he saw the purple mobian. “Hey, little guy! I’m glad to see you really joined!” His voice was rather loud. “Who’s your friend?”

“My roommate, Zonic.”

“Nice to meet you.” The hedgehog waved.

“Nice to meet you as well, other little guy.” He looked at Zespio once again. “What brings you here, by the way?”

“I wanted to say hi… and ask for a favor.”

“Hah! I knew something was up. What’cha need?”

“We need a ride to the market. Do you mind taking us, if you have time?”

“Sure, I’m done with today’s work.” Zector stretched his arms and walked inside to take his car keys. “Do you have your money already?”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s go!”

Zonic stayed awkwardly quiet as the two friends walked to the car, talking as if they forgot he was there. He sat in the back, looking at his phone while they updated each other on life events for what felt like a long time. Distracted by reading news articles, he barely noticed when silence fell upon them, and only looked up when Zespio turned his head and waved to call his attention.

“Sorry to leave you out, we just haven’t seen each other in a while!”

“It’s fine.”

“We’re here!” Zector announced, parking the car. “You guys can go ahead and take your time. I’ll wait here.”

The hedgehog pocketed his phone and left the car, hesitantly following the chameleon into the market. “Are you sure about this, Zespio? You don’t need to waste money on me.”

“I also shouldn’t let my new roommate starve!” He smirked. “Really, it’s not a big deal. Besides, what’s the honor in protecting the multiverse if you can’t lend a hand to a friend who’s in a rough time?”

“You consider me a friend already?”

“Well… we will be friends. At least I hope so.”

Zonic chuckled and rubbed his head. “Of course. Though, I’m not exactly a social butterfly. I haven’t made a new friend in years, so I forgot how this works at all.”

“It just happens. You’ll see.” They stopped to get a cart and looked around. “So… what do you eat?”

“Insects, for the most part. But vegetables and fruit are welcome as well…”

Zespio nodded and started to lead the way. “Well, it sounds like we have the same diet.”

By the end, they had bought a few packs of frozen crickets, flies and worms, some apples, tomatoes, lettuce and carrots, a few packs of instant noodles, and a few cleaning products. Oh, and some bars of chocolate and other snacks for the weekend, because that wouldn’t hurt anyone. It should be enough to last them a month comfortably. Like promised, the chameleon paid for all of the groceries without hesitation or regret, and they carried the bags to the car, where Zector was playing games on his phone as he waited for their return.

The trip back home was a little more talkative. Zonic opened up enough to share some of his interests and goals, though he completely avoided talking about his past every time it was brought up, changing the subject immediately. Zector offered to share his training routine with them, telling them about his experience in the academy thus far, and even telling them about a friend who could help them in the science classes if they ever had difficulty with the subject. The crocodile seemed to overlook that the hedgehog was small, scrawny and, well, a hedgehog. Maybe because his friend was a tiny mobian as well. Though, Zespio did have powers. Perhaps he was not a judgemental person, which was also fine.

When they arrived, they waved goodbye to Zector and, back at the dorm, they organized all of their new items in the fridge and shelves. Now the blue mobian truly felt like the change had started. Engaging with people, making new friends and being  _ heard  _ after so long made him feel very alive, even though it was exhausting at the same time. 

He did not have another nightmare that night.

  
  



End file.
